Abstract :
When he rose to power, Shāh Ismā'īl inaugurated a fierce struggle against the Ottoman Empire. In the official framework established by the Ottoman ulemā and bureaucrats, Qizilbashes were pictured as sectarian heretics threatening the true way of Islam and the unity of Muslims while Ottoman dynasty was promoted as the champion of anti-Qizilbash fight, thus the patron of Sunni Muslims. This article challenges this approach through examining the political career of a prominent Ottoman prince, Sultan Murad, whose Qizilbash affiliation is evident. It argues that the Ottoman dynasty was by no means immune to the Qizilbash movement.